All their benefits notwithstanding, flat screen televisions are cumbersome, fragile, expensive objects. A television with a screen diagonal of 42 inches (107 cm) might have dimensions of 42×28×5 inches (width×height×depth), weigh 160 pounds (68 kg), and cost possibly exceeding a thousand dollars. Larger sets (e.g., with screen diagonals of 60 inches (152 cm) or more) are not uncommon. The television has a screen section containing a screen in a plastic case that encloses its electronics. Often, the screen section is mounted on a stand. The screen and the (usually plastic) stand are particularly fragile components.
Repair of an flat screen television or monitor often requires that it be taken from its place of installation (e.g., a family room in a home) to a remote service center in a delivery truck. Safe transport of the television to and from the service center can present a challenge to the one or two delivery persons that are sent to pick up the set. In the recent past, commercial delivery persons would often simply wrap the flat screen television in a blanket to carry it to the truck. Once in the truck, the television might be loose and in danger of being damaged, not attached to the inner walls of the truck. Needless to say, this approach might not inspire confidence in the observant customer/television owner. For the service center, the bulkiness, fragility, and expense combined to produce high risk of loss.
In the prior art, at the opposite extreme in terms of protectiveness are cases made of rigid plastic or metal, lined with foam material. These cases enclose the monitor on all sides. Because monitors come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, a given rigid case fits only one or a very limited number of particular television models. The service center and delivery trucks would need an extensive suite of differently sized cases to accomodate the numerous possibilities. In addition to this inflexibility, these cases are very expensive to manufacture. Because of their great weight, which can approach 100 pounds (45 kg), these cases are usually equipped with casters to allow them to roll. On some surfaces the casters are helpful, but they mostly hinder rather than facilitate progress when negotiating stairways and the rough surfaces, gaps, dips and lips often encountered when such a large object is being loaded onto a truck.